Mechanical movement



Oct. 29, 1935.

MECHANI CAL MOVEMENT Original Filed June 26, 1935 Lluh'n K RusseI1 QKamxW J. K. RUSSELL 2,019,158 7 Patented Oct. 29, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,019,158 MECHANICAL MOVEMENT John K. Russell, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor of one-half to George '1. Rich, Chicago, Ill.

1934, Serial No. 731,801

'7 Claims.

This invention, which constitutes a division of co-pending application for spot light, filed June 26, 1933, Serial No. 677,539, pertains to improvements in mechanical movements, and more particularly to a mechanism for converting reciprocative movement into rotary movement, or vice versa.

Various mechanisms for accomplishing the foregoing results, such as reciprocative cams for actuating rotary members, are well known in the art, and, therefore, the present invention does not contemplate broadly the inclusion of such devices, but rather has primarily. for its object the provision of an exceedingly simple, compact, and efficient mechanism, in which the reciprocative member is provided with a plurality of cams for progressive engagement with alining projections carried by the rotary member, whereby the arc of movement of the rotary member is materially increased beyond the movement imparted by a single cam, thus permitting the use of exceedingly short cams, and at the same time distributing wear between a plurality of engaging surfaces to greatly prolong the life of the mechanism.

Incidental to the foregoing, a more specific object of the present invention resides in the provision of a reciprocative bar having a flat face provided with a plurality of spaced transverse c-am grooves open at their ends'for progressive engagement with respective spaced projections carried by a rotary member journaled adjacent said bar for rotary movement in a plane parallel to said flat face.

A still further object is to form the foregoing cam grooves in such manner as to provide constant leverage and relative movement between the reciprocative and rotary members.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the herein disclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawing is illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of the present invention constructed according to the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof.

In the drawing:-

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation, illustrating one form in which the principles of the present invention may be applied, parts being broken away and in section, and

Figure 2 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. 75:

Referring now more particularly to the specific structure illustrated in the accompanying drawing, the numeral I designates a guide, in which a reciprocative bar 2 is slidably journaled, and

held against rotation by means of its flattened 1'0 sides, the bar being rectangular in cross section. However, it is to be understood that the foregoing may be accomplished in various conventional ways, such as by keys, splines, and the like,

without departing from the invention. l:-

One of the flat faces 3 of the bar 2 has formed therein a plurality of spaced, transverse cam grooves 4 extending across the entire width of the face to present open ends at the'upper or lower edges of the bar, which is highly essential to the invention, as will be hereinafter pointed out.

Pivotally mounted at one side of the bar 2, for relative movement in a plane parallel to the face 3, is a rotary member 5, shown as a sector, and provided with a plurality of spaced, laterally extending projections 6 for engagement in the cam grooves 4.

Merely for illustrative purposes, the guide I is shown as having an enlarged boss 1, formed at one side and provided with a recess 8 for reception of the sector 5, the inner wall of the recess being provided with an arcuate groove 9 to permit rotary movement of the projections 6. That portion of the groove intersecting the cam rod 2 is interrupted to form an opening Ill through the wall of the guide I to permit engagement of the projection 6 in the cam grooves' l.

A plate ll, secured to the face of the boss I by screws I2, or any other suitable fastening means,

forms a closure for the recess 8, and a bearing for 40 the shaft l3 secured to the sector 5.

Obviously, in the position of the parts illustrated in Figure 1, movement of the bar in the direction indicated by the arrow, either manually or otherwise, will impart rotary movement to the sector 5 through engagement of the projection 6 in the cam grooves 4, and naturally reverse movement will oscillatethe sector.

While in the present showing the cam grooves 4 are illustrated as being identical, and of such arcuateformation as to provide constant leverage and relative movement between the cam bar 2 and rotary member 5, if desired the intermediate portions of one or more of the grooves may be generated to vary the leverage and relative movement, it being merely necessary to form the ends of the grooves correspondingly in fixed relation to the projections carried by the rotary member 5. Further, while the grooves 3 are shown as spaced equidistantly, the spacing may be varied in relation to such variation as may be made in the projection 6 of the rotary member 5, itbeing unnecessary, although more desirable, to space the projections equidistantly from each other. Nor is it essential that the projections be spaced equidistantly radially from the axis of the sector.

Also, it is important to note that the cam grooves are so spaced with relation to the projections 6 that as one projection is leaving its groove, another enters the adjacent groove, and, obviously, if desired, a plurality of projections may be engaged by the cams at all times by either spacing the projections closer together,

or increasing the width of the cam bar to extend the length of the cam grooves, as indicated in the dot and dash lines on Figure 1.

Furthermore, it will be readily understood that the leverage between the movable members may be varied by changing the angle of the cord of the cam groove arcs with relation to their end edges. In this manner it is also possible to reverse the operation and reciprocate the cam bar through actuation of the rotary member, which cannot be accomplished when the angle of the cam grooves is acute with relation to the upper edge of the cam bar.

From the foregoing explanation, considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be readily apparent that an exceedingly simple, compact, and efficient mechanism has been provided for converting reciprocative movement into rotary or oscillatory movement, or vice versa, the novel and highly advantageous feature of the invention residing in the provision of a reciprocative member having a plurality of cams progressively engaging successive projections carried by the rotary member, whereby maximum arcuate movement is imparted to the rotary member by a reciprocative member of minimum width, and consequently cams of minimum length. At the same time, wear is distributed to a plurality of intermittently engaging surfaces, thus materially prolonging the life of the mechanism.

I claim:

1. A mechanical movement comprising a reciprocative member provided with a plurality of cams, and an oscillatory member provided with a plurality of projections alined concentrically with the axis of the oscillatory member for progressive engagement with said cams to efiect relative movement of the members upon actuation of one of said members.

2. A mechanical movement comprising a reciprocative member provided with a plurality of angularly disposed parallel cams, and an oscillatory member provided with a plurality 01' projections alined concentrically with the axis of the oscillatory member for progressive engagement with said cams to efiect constant relative movement of the members upon actuation of one of the members.

3. A mechanical movement comprising a reciprocating member provided with a plurality of cams, and a rotary member provided with a plurality of projections for progressive engagement with said cams to efiect relative movement of the members upon actuation of one of said members, said rotary member having oscillatory movement in a plane parallel to the path of movement of said reciprocative member.

4. A mechanical movement comprising a reciprocative member provided on one of its faces with a plurality of transverse, angularly disposed cams, an oscillatory member journaled adjacent said reciprocative member for rotary movement in a plane parallel to said cam face, and projections carried by said rotary member for progressive engagement with said cams to effect relative movement between the members upon actuation of one of said members.

5. A mechanical movement comprising a reciprocative bar having a fiat face and provided with a plurality of cam grooves in said face, the grooves being open at their ends, and a rotary member provided with a plurality of projections for progressive engagement in said cam grooves to effect relative movement of the members upon actuation of one of said members, said projections being so spaced that one or more projections are engaged in their respective cam grooves at all times.

6. A mechanical movement comprising a reciprocative bar having a flat face and provided with a plurality of cam grooves in said face, the grooves being open at their ends, and a rotary member provided with a plurality of projections for progressive engagement in said cam grooves to effect relative movement of the members upon actuation of one of said members, said projections being so spaced with relation to said cam grooves with at least two adjacent projections engaged in their respective cam grooves during the exit and entrance of said projections in said cam grooves.

7. A mechanical movement comprising a reciprocative member provided with a plurality of parallel, uniformly spaced, arcuate cams, and an oscillatory member provided with a plurality of uniformly spaced projections alined concentrically with the axis of the oscillatory member for engagement with said cams to eflect relative movement of the members upon actuation of one of said members.

JOHN K. RUSSELL. 

